(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a motor power simulating apparatus and, more particularly, to a motor power simulating apparatus for fuel cell power module evaluation.
(b) Background Art
A fuel cell is a power generator that converts chemical energy directly into electric energy by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen contained in a hydrocarbon-based material (e.g., methanol, natural gas, etc.) and oxygen contained in the air. Unlike a conventional combustion engine, or a charge/discharge battery, the fuel cell is a pure-energy converter of high efficiency.
In general, the amount of electricity obtained from a fuel cell changes depending on the amount, concentration, and pressure of the fuel used. Additionally, the durability and performance of a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle may be based on the power generated by a power module of the fuel cell (e.g., a stack, an air supply device, a hydrogen supply device, a cooling device, or the like). In other words, the properties of a fuel cell vehicle, i.e., durability, performance, etc., may be assessed and inferred by evaluating the properties of the power module of the fuel cell.
Conventional methods for evaluating a fuel cell power module are based on assessing the performance (i.e., voltage) of the fuel cell by supplying hydrogen and oxygen to the fuel cell with an electronic load and drawing current from the fuel cell. For example, fuel cell system power evaluators used in Japan and the U.S. evaluate the power of the fuel cell system by installing a motor dynamometer and simulating a vehicle state. Unfortunately, such fuel cell system power evaluators require a separate facility of large size that contains expensive equipment (e.g., a motor dynamometer), which makes power module assessment of mass produced fuel cell modules cost prohibitive. Accordingly, there is a need for new and improved methods and apparatus to evaluate fuel cell power modules.